Located deep in the southern Alberta foothills, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Bar U Ranch (from 1882 to 1950) was a force to be reckoned with.


While other large Alberta ranches succeeded for a time only to go out of business, especially after the killer winters of 1886 and 1906, the mighty Bar U persevered to eventually become a kingpin in a business empire that included a variety of ranches and farming enterprises, as well as meat packing plants and flour mills.